


Meet Cut

by thought



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: First Meetings, Gen, Pre-Canon, implied institutional homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 06:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16423790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thought/pseuds/thought
Summary: "A curious mind is a healthy mind!"orRoy Mustang is befriended against his will and it's terrifying for a couple reasons.





	Meet Cut

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr for Fictober day 12

"Who could do this?" Roy mutters, staring down at the photo in the newspaper that he has spread out across the table in the mess, his long-forgotten lunch tray shoved almost off the edge.

"A disturbed mind," someone says, gently, from right behind him. Roy places his hands flat on the table so he doesn't snap, then realizes this just exposes the arrays on his gloves, and flips his hands over, as if he's expecting something to be placed into them. He hurriedly just tucks his hands into his lap, hoping it doesn't look like he's going for his gun or like he's just experienced the most awkward five seconds of his entire year.

"Oh, yes," he says, finally realizing the conversation probably requires further participation. The man behind him steps around the side of the table, setting his own tray down without disturbing Roy's spread of newsprint. He's a year or two older than Roy, and Roy wonders a little frantically if he's meant to salute the older cadets. He has no doubt that the military academy will be reasonably simple once he knows exactly what's expected of him, but still in his first week he's finding the entire culture incredibly alien. His charm isn't getting him as far as he predicted it would, and the level of intelligence required of the students is, in his opinion, alarmingly low.

"It's a nasty business, these murders," the other man says, taking a seat.

"I suppose," Roy says, and then quickly, "yes. It is. Hello, incidentally. I'm Roy Mustang."

"Maes Hughes," his companion offers a hand. "I've seen you around, but you always seem busy, so I didn't want to bother you. But I try to make it a point to meet all the first years, you know, make sure they're settling in alright."

"I see," Roy says, bristling internally. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"What has you so interested in this story anyway?" Hughes asks, gesturing with his fork to the pages laid out in front of Roy, four photographs, four weeks, four bodies with large holes in their chests and torsos, all cleanly sealing back up like the world's most horrifying doughnut. No blood. No mess. Just pieces of each victim missing like they'd always been wandering around with a hole the size of a fist through the side of their chest.

"Like I said," Roy says, deciding a bit of honesty might dissuade Hughes from any further attempts at charitable friendship. "I'm curious who could do this. It's got to be an alchemist, but I'm not sure any of the currently registered State Alchemists are proficient enough with the human body to so cleanly remove the organs and repair the skin. Especially without leaving any blood behind."

"An academic interest!" Hughes says, brightly, much to Roy's dismay. "A curious mind is a healthy mind. I personally want to know what they're doing with the bits they've taken."

"There are plenty of occult rituals that probably require human organs," Roy says, shrugging. "I'm sure the investigators have been following up in that area."

"Oh, true! I've never really learned anything about that sort of thing. Ugh. Creepy." He shutters dramatically, then shoves a bite of food into his mouth. "Seems a bit strange for an alchemist to be mixed up with the occult, doesn't it? Aren't you people all about science and provable facts?"

Roy frowns. "You knew who I was before you even came over here."

"Guilty as charged," Hughes says, grinning. "You've made quite a stir with the instructors, even if the students have no idea what you can do. They've got big plans for you, kiddo."

Roy's pretty sure this time he bristles externally. "I'm just here to serve my country. I don't want anything special." This is a lie, and from the way Hughes cackles for a good forty-five seconds after he's said it, it's not a very good one.

"Anyway," Hughes says once he's caught his breath. "The organs and flesh could have been removed by anybody good with a knife. Get a sharp enough blade and you can even cut through bone. I admit the skin resealing afterward is a bit trickier to explain without alchemy, but I'm sure if I asked enough people someone would have an idea."

Roy snorts. "I'm sorry. The precision of the removal, the lack of mess, the perfectly symmetrical circles? I have a hard time believing--"

His uniform jacket falls gently off his shoulders, fluttering down and catching on his wrists. He stares down at the cloth where it's been parted straight down alongside the row of buttons, not even a thread dangling to show where it's been cut. Hughes flips a knife lazily between his fingers, grinning brightly at Roy.

"It's important to keep an open mind," he chirps. "I thought, as an alchemist, you'd know that. Among other reasons."

Roy freezes. There's not even a snag in his shirt where the knife had passed over it. "Excuse me?"

"Hey, hey, no, not a threat," Hughes says, and the knife vanishes, which is far less reassuring than he probably intends it to be. "That came out a little ominous, I'm sorry. I meant the opposite, actually. You're not alone, is all I meant. A few of us here like to keep open minds."

"I suppose *that's* causing a stir with the instructors as well?" Roy asks lowly, trying not to glance around nervously and failing.

Hughes reaches out, squeezes his shoulder. "No. No one knows who would cause trouble. It's not in a secret file somewhere, don't worry."

"Then how do you know?" Roy asks. "I've been careful ever since I decided to join up."

Hughes grins. "That would be telling."

"Of course it would be," Roy says, coldly.

Hughes sighs. "I've upset you. I'm sorry. I should be going, anyway, I've got a private tutoring session in a few minutes. Just, think about what I said. Not everything amazing comes from alchemists." He gets up, scooping up his tray and Roy's as well.

"It was... a pleasure to meet you," Roy says, expressionless.

Hughes sighs. "I'll make a better impression next time, I promise." Roy drops his forehead into his hand. Hughes turns away, then pauses. "You may want to get a new jacket before afternoon classes, Mustang."

Roy wonders if he's going to make the papers when he murders Maes Hughes in the middle of the academy mess.


End file.
